Conveyor with magnetic pipe separators thereon



June 7, 1960 Filed Oct. 15, 1956 CONVEYOR WITH MAGNETIC PIPE SEPARATORS THEREON iii in F. ISRAELSON ET AL 2 SheetsShee t 1 i l lll' INVENTORS- ARLO F. ISRAELSON FRANKLIN E. PARKE JOSEPH ROSSI B M x. 24

ATTORNEY June 7, 1960 A. F. ISRAELSON ET AL ,568

CONVEYOR WITH MAGNETIC PIPE SEPARATORS THEREON Filed Oct. 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TORS.

ARLO E ISRAELSON FRANKLIN E. PARKE JOSEPH ROSSI ATTO RNE Y Ufl t d States Patent CONVEYOR WITH MAGNETIC PIPE SEPARATQRS THEREON Filed on. is, 1956, Sen No. 615,945

9 Claims. Cl. 198-34) This invention relates to machines for handling elongated members and more particularly to machines for conveying elongated, generally cylindrical members to hold the cylindrical members in spaced relation during a manufacturing process.

In the manufacturing process of coating pipes and other similar elongated articles, it is often desirable, if not necessary, to hold the pipes in spaced relation to each other during the coating process in order to maintain a uniform coating on each pipe. It has been discovered that by moving the articles to be coated over a magnetic drum, the pipes will have magnetic fields induced therein by the magnet in the drum as the article passes over the drum. The induced magnets in the pipes will have similar poles adjacent a similar pole of an adjacent induced magnet and since the similar poles. will repel each other, the pipes or articles will tend to move apart and will maintain a generally equal spacing as they are moved through the machine. 7 i

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a machine for conveying pipes or similar articles to a coating machine which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple and efficient in operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a magnetic roller in combination with a conveyor for conveyingpipes whereby the roller will cause pipes made of Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of the drum taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Now with more specific reference to the drawings, a drum 1 is shown having a non-magnetic shell 2 around the outside thereof and having a horseshoe shaped magnet 3 supported inside the drum 1 for the shell 2 of the drum 1 to move around. The drum 1 has a central axle or shaft 4 which is carried by suitable supports and is nonrotatable thereon and forms one of the rollers in a conveyor.

The magnets 3 are supported on brackets 30 which are integrally attached to bored bosses 31. The bosses 31 are concentrically disposed on the shaft 4 and locked magnetic material passing thereover to be induced magnetically and, therefore, cause thesaid pipes to repel each other and maintain a space therebetween.

A further object of this invention isto provide an improved conveyor for conveying elongated parts.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings andmore particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor detailsof constructionwithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the in vention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an isometric view of a magnetic drum according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the magnetic drum showing a section of pipe being transported thereover and showing how the pipe will be magnetically induced by the magnet in the drum;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the drum shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a top view of a drum showing sections of pipe being conveyed thereover; Y

Fig. 5 is a top view of the pipes being conveyed into a coating machine;

Fig. 6 is a view of anotherembodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the drum taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 8; and

thereto by set screws 33. The shaft 4 is fixed to a fixed member of the conveyor so that the magnets 3 are held adjacent pipes 5 or other elongated members being carried by the conveyor. 7

End supports 40 arehollow and receive the shaft 4 concentric therewith and rotate thereon, carrying with them a shell 47. The end supports 40 are attached to end shields 41 by means of studs 42; The studs 42 extend through holes in a flange 43 which is integral with the supports 40 and engage threaded nuts 44 disposed in recesses 45 in the end shields 41. The end shields 41 have a circular outside surface. The hollow cylindrioal shell 47 fits over the outside of the end shields Hand is attached thereto by studs 48. The shell 47 is made of non-magnetic material such as brass and it rotates as a unit with the end shields 41 and the end supports 40.

When the drum 1 is supported in a conveyor and as the pipes 5 pass over the shell 47 and through the fields of the magnets 3, magnetism will be induced in the pipes 5 in the section thereof directly over the magnet 3 at the particular time. The induced magnetic field in the pipes 5 will have like poles adjacent each other and will, therefore, repel each other to cause the pipes 5 to urge each other apart. The pipes 5 will, therefore, hold a spacing from each other as shown in Fig. 3.

If it is desired to convey a single pipe through a coatingprocess and have the pipe maintain a spacingfrom any lateral obstructions, a drum 101 which is similar to the drum 1 shown in Fig. 1 will be used. The drum 101- Will have guides 102 and 103 supported in spaced and, also, a magnetic field will be induced in the pipe being conveyed, the pipebeing conveyedwill be repelled by the magnetic field in each of the guides 102 and 103 by :substantially equal forces and it will, therefore, take a position approximately midway between the two guides 102 and 103.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 5, a coating machine 207 is disposed in a position at the end of a line of rolls 2%, 209, and 210. A magnetic plate 201 is disposed between the last roll 210 and the coating machine 207. The plate magnet 201 which has a horseshoe magnet disposed laterally thereacross will induce magnetic fields in the rolls in the direction shown by N and S. These fields will repel each other and cause the rolls passing over the plate magnet 201'to travel in spaced relation into the coating machine 207.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims. I

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A conveyor for conveying elongated magnetic members along a path comprising a horseshoe shaped permanent magnet having each of its legs extending parallel to said path and comprising permanent magnetic pole means extending transversely across said conveyor, said pole means comprising a north and a south pole, said poles being disposed in spaced relation to each other, means to support said magnet on said conveyor, and means to move a plurality of elongated magnetic members over said magnetic members on said conveyor in close proximity thereto whereby said magnetic members are induced magnetically with like poles adjacent each other to urge said elongated members into spaced relation to each other.

2 A conveyor for conveying elongated magnetizable articles inspaced relation to each other, said conveyor having means to convey said articles thereon and including a permanent magnet supported on said conveyor and disposed below the path of flow of said articles with a north and a south pole disposed in spaced relation to each other and adjacent the path of flow of articles over said conveyor, poles of said permanent magnet extending transversely across said conveyor substantially the entire width thereof said magnet adapted. to magnetically induce magnetism in said articles with said induced magnetism in said articles having like poles adjacent each other to urge said articles into spaced relation to each other.

3. A conveyor comprising a hollow drum having a plurality of horseshoe magnets supported therein in fixed relation thereto with the poles thereof adjacent the inner periphery, the poles of said magnets being circumferentially spaced inside said drum, said drum adapted to carry elongated magnetizable members transversely of the axis thereof, said magnets having pole means extending transversely across said conveyor and being adapted to induce magnetism in said members with similar poles adjacent each other to urge said members to repel each other and tend to move into spaced relation to each other.

4. A conveyor adapted to convey elongated magnetizable members comprising a horseshoe shaped magnet attached to said conveyor having the poles thereof spaced from each other in the direction of travel of articles to be conveyed, and means to convey articles over said magnet, said magnet comprising permanent magnetic pole means extending transversely across said conveyor substantially the entire width thereof and adapted to induce magnetic fields into said elongated members with similar poles adjacent each other whereby said members repel each other and urge each other into spaced relation.

5 A conveyor comprising a plurality of spaced rolls for carrying elongated magnetizable articles, one of said rolls having laterally spaced horseshoe shaped magnets therein having poles spaced around the inner periphery thereof, said poles extending transversely across said conveyor substantially the entire width thereof, said conveyor adapted to carry elongated members over said magnets in said one roll, said magnets in said one roll adapted to induce magnetism into said elongated members with like poles adjacent each other whereby said elongated members repel each other into spaced relation with each other.

6. A conveyor for elongated magnetizable articles comprising two fixed, spaced magnetizable guide members, and a magnet disposed longitudinally of said guide members with its poles spaced and disposed in the direction of flow of material between said guide members, said magnet comprising permanent magnetic pole means extending transversely across said conveyor substantially the entire width thereof adapted to induce magnetism into said spaced guide members and in a magnetizable article adapted to be conveyed past said magnet, the like poles of said induced magnets being adjacent each other to cause said article, moving between said fixed guide members which are transversely spaced from each other, to be repelled by said guide members whereby said article is held equidistant between said spaced guide members,

7. A conveyor for conveying spaced elongated members made of magnetizable material comprising a drum, means to carry said elongated members longitudinally over said drum, said drum comprising a hollow cylindrical, rotatable outer shell, and a permanent magnet comprising permanent magnetic pole means extending transversely across said conveyor inside said shell and held against rotation inside said shell, the poles of said magnet being spaced around the periphery of said drum.

8. A conveyor for conveying spaced elongated members comprising a drum, means to carry said elongated members longitudinally over said drum, said drum comprising a hollow cylindrical non-magnetizable rotatable outer shell, a permanent magnet inside said shell with the poles of said permanent magnet spaced around the periphery of said shell, said poles comprising magnetic pole means extending transversely across said conveyor substantially the entire width thereof, a transverse round shaft disposed concentric, to said shell and fixed against rotation, means attached to said shaft and extending radially therefrom and supporting said magnet, a hollow shaft disposed on said transverse shaft and rotatable thereon, and means on said hollow shaft supporting said shell for rotation therewith.

9. A conveyor for elongated ferro-magnetic articles such as tubes, pipes, bars, rods, and the like comprising conveying means for advancing the articles in the direction of their axes, and magnetic means disposed adjacent the path of the articles on the conveyor for inducing magnetism in said articles in spaced zones extending transversely of the axis of said conveyor, the magnetism in each said transverse Zone being of the same polarity throughout thereby to separate the articles from each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,780,493 McKee Nov. 4, 1930 1,812,505 Wertz June 30, 1931 2,380,550 Reed July 31, 1945 

